Button feeding machine

ABSTRACT

A button feeding machine for sequentially feeding buttons located in a hopper through a chute to a holder in which the buttons are held in proper position for attachment to a cloth article by the needle of a sewing machine. An arrangement is provided so that subsequent to the sewing operation, the thread connecting the sewn button to the sewing machine is automatically severed and another button is positively fed from the chute to a position for sewing in the button holder. A machine operator controls the actuation of the thread cutter and button feeder.

Unite States atent 11 1 Lombardo Apr. 30, 1974 [54] BUTTON FEEDING MACHINE 2,830,549 4/1958 Troll 1 12/1 13 3,042,255 7/1962 Halbreich 112/113 X [75] Inventor: ignhony Lombardo, Bay S 3,382,824 5/1968 Bronfman 112/113 [73] Assignee: Alfa Industries, Inc., New York, Primary Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin N.Y. Attorney, Agent, or FirmDarby & Darby [22] Filed: May 1, 1972 Appl 110.; 249,146

[52] US. Cl. 112/113, 112/252 [51] Int. Cl D05b 3/22 [58] Field of Search 112/110-114, 112/252, 108, 109; 221/267 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,565,285 2/1971 Asnes 221/267 3,712,253 1/1973 Asnes 112/113 3,357,387 12/1967 Owens 112/108 X 2,843,069 7/l958 Halbreich 112/113 57 ABSTRACT A button feeding machine for sequentially feeding buttons located in a hopper through a chute to a holder in which the buttons are held in proper position for attachment to a cloth article by the needle of a sewing machine. An arrangement is provided so that subsequent to the sewing operation, the thread con necting the sewn button to the sewing machine is automatically severed and another button is positively fed from the chute to a position for sewing in the button holder. A machine operator controls the actuation of the thread cutter and button feeder.

8 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures P ATYENTEUAPR 30 m4 SHEET '1 0F 4 BUTTON FEEDING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to apparatus for feeding buttons into a holder where they are held so that they can be sewn onto a piece of cloth, and more particularly to a button feeding machine which includes an arrangement for automatically severing the connecting thread after a button is sewn onto the cloth and simultaneously, positively indexes another button into a position where it can be sewn.

The subject invention has several advantages over prior art machines of the same type. For example, in the machine shown in US. Pat. No. 3,565,285 granted on Feb. 23, 1971, which is assigned to the same assignee, after a button is fed into the button'holder and sewed onto the cloth, the sewn button is moved away from the machine usually tearing the thread which originates from the sewing machine and is still connected to the sewn button. However, when heavy thread is used or when the cloth is a material such as nylon, the thread is not subjected to sufficient force to cause severing. In such cases, the thread must be manually cut which, of course, is time consuming. Additionally, although some prior art machines included automatic button indexing mechanisms, this feature was rendered ineffective when the connecting thread was not torn as described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a new and improved button feeding machine for feeding shank-type buttons sequentially into a sewing position, i.e., into a position wherein the button is held by the machine in adjacent overlying relationship with the article of clothing to which it is to be sewed.

Another object is the provisions of a new and improved button feeding machine wherein a sewn button is automatically removed from the machine subsequent to the sewing operation.

Still another object is to provide a new and improved button feeding machine wherein the thread connecting a sewn button to the machine is automatically severed subsequent to the sewing operation.

A further object is to provide a new and improved button feeding machine wherein a new button is automatically and positively fed into sewing position subsequent to the sewing of the preceding button to the garment.

Another object is the provision of a button feeding machine which is effective in sewing buttons to garments with relatively thick thread.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention, these and other objects are attained by providing a button feeding machine having a hopper and a chute having one end positioned adjacent a discharge aperture formed in the hopper. A quantity of buttons are placed in the hopper and are uniformly oriented upon entering and during descent within the chute.

The buttons descend in the chute under the force of gravity into a novel button holder assembly mounted on the base of the machine having an inlet positioned adjacent the outlet of the chute. The button holder assembly is movable between a lower and an upper position and includes a button clamping assembly which releasably secures a button in sewing position, i.e., where it can be sewn by the sewing machine onto the article of clothing. After the sewing operation, the button holder assembly is raised to the upper position upon which movement, the sewn button is withdrawn from the holder assembly, a new button is disposed into sewing position and the thread connecting the sewn button to the machine is severed. These operations are accomplished automatically upon the operator moving the button holder assembly from its lower position, occupied during sewing, to its upper position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A more complete appreciation of the invention will be readily attained by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing the general assembly of the machine;

FIG. 2 is a view taken in section along line 22 of FIG. 1 showing a portion of the chute and track size varying apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a view taken in section along line 3-3 in FIG. 1 of the hopper and chute assemblies;

FIG. 4 is an fragmentary view showing the connection prior to final assembly between the chute and the button holder assembly looking up and to the right at FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a view taken in section along line 4A-4A in FIG. 4

FIG. 5 is a view in section along line 5-5 in FIG. 1 of the button holder assembly;

FIG. 5A is a plan view showing the outline of the frame of the button holder assembly.

FIG. 6 is a view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5 of the button holder assembly in the lowered sewing position;

FIG. 7 is a view of the button holder assembly taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a front view in partial section taken along line 88 in FIG. 7 of the button holder assembly in sewing position;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the button holder assembly in the raised position;

FIG. 10 is a partial plan view of the button holder assembly illustrating the indexing and thread cutting operations; and

FIG. 11 is a view of an oscillatory drive mechanism which may be employed in the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view on line 12-12 of FIG. 11.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and more particularly to FIG. 1, the button feeding machine includes a hopper l0 pivotally mounted at 12 to a vertically adjustable stand 14 which is bolted to a base 16. A chute assembly 18 is positioned with its upper, inlet end adjacent to a discharge opening formed in hopper 10. The outlet of the chute is fixed to a button holder assembly 20 which itself is pivotally mounted at onto the base of a button sewing machine 22 of a conventional design.

The operation of the button feed hopper 10 is substantially the same as that described in US. Pat. No. 3,565,285 mentioned hereinabove. Referring to FIG. 3, a plurality of buttons 23 are deposited within the hopper. A number of elongated fingers 24 have their ends fixed to a rotatable hub 26 which is driven by a shaft 28 extending from an electric motor 30 (FIG. 1) fastened to the bottom wall of the hopper.

The button chute 18 is formed with upper and lower plates 32 and 34, respectively. As seen in FIG. 2, plate 34 has an inwardly facing lip 36 formed along each edge and plate 32 is formed in two parts defining a track 38 to guide the shanks 23a of the buttons 23 fed thereinto from hopper 10. The head 23b of the button rests against plate 34.

As the fingers 24 are rotated in hopper by the motor 30, they stir the buttons. Hopper 10 is tilted at an angle so that the buttons fall by gravity and are moved by the fingers to the hopper exit aperture 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper plate 32 is formed in two pieces 32a and 32b defining track 38. Pieces 32a and 32b extend upwardly for a short distance into the hopper exit aperture 40. The left piece 32a (as seen in FIG. 3) has a sloping shoulder 42 and a vertical notched cutout 44. As the buttons are rotated in the hopper by the fingers 24, if they are oriented with their shanks facing the hopper bottom wall, their shanks cannot enter into the notched cutout 42, 44 of the track 38. However, if they are oriented with their heads facing the bottom wall of the hopper, then the shanks will fall into the track entrance defined by the sloping shoulder 42 and the notch 44. If the button in the chute entrance is aligned so that the long dimension of its shank cannot enter the track 38, as shown for the top button in FIG. 3, then the shank is caught in the notch 44. As the stirrer fingers 24 rotate they engage the head of the button in the entranceway and rotate it in the direction shown by the arrow. The button is spun so that the long dimension of the shank can fall into the track 38 and fall downward due to gravity. In this manner, the chute 18 is continually kept loaded with buttons, as long as there is a supply in the hopper.

As previously described, the chute 18 comprises upper and lower chute plates 32 and 34, the former being defined by two spaced, elongated parts 32a, 32b to define the track 38. To accommodate buttons with different thicknesses of the head portions 23b, it is necessary that the size of the space between the upper and lower plates 32 and 34 be adjustable. This is accomplished by mounting several brackets 46 along the length of chute 18. Referring to FIG. 2, each bracket 46includes a U-shaped yoke 48 formed by two downwardly extending arms 50 and a cross arm 52. The lower plate 34 is rigidly fastened by suitable means, such as bolts 54, to the ends of arms 50. A block 56 having a threaded bore (not shown) is slidably mounted in the reduced area defined by the inner surface of cross arm 52 and the inner surfaces of enlarged portions of arms 50. The lower surface of block 56 is fastened to the upper surface of upper wall member 32. A threaded shaft 62 having a knob 60 at its free end is passed through the cross arm 52 so that its other end threadedly engages block 56. By rotating shaft 62, block 56 is caused to be selectively raised and lowered in the reduced area thereby varying the position of upper plate 32 and, consequently, the amount of space between plates 32 and 34. In the present embodiment since the chute 18 is straight, two brackets 46 are provided, one at the upper end and one at the lower end of the chute. By appropriately adjusting each bracket,

a uniform spacing may be obtained between plates 32, 34 along the length of the entire chute.

The button holder 20 is shown in detail in FIGS. 4-10. The holder includes a pair of opposed plates 64 and 66 which, when connected to the discharge end of chute 18, form a continuation or an extension of chute 18. Similarly to chute plate 32, plate 64 is formed by a pair of spaced, adjacent parts 64a, 64b (FIG. 6). The space between parts 64a, 64b defines a track 67 which functions as a continuation of chute track 38. The connection between the button holder 20 and chute 18 is shown in FIG. 4. The upper end of button holder 20 is connected to the discharge end of the chute 18 by a pin-socket assembly 69. Plate 66 of holder 20 has a bracket 68 fastened thereto having a plurality of pins 70 extending therefrom. A mating bracket 72 is fastened onto the lower end of lower plate 34 of the chute. Bracket 72 has a series of bores 71 (shown in phantom) formed therein located to align with the pins 70. Similar brackets 73 and 75 (FIG. 1) having aligned pins and bores provided on plate 64 of the button holder and the upper plate 32 of the chute. To connect the button holder assembly to the chute, pins 70 are aligned with the bores formed in the brackets 72, 75 which act as sockets. The dimensions of the pins and bores provide an interference fit so that when the pins are inserted into thebores, the button holder and chute are held together.

Still referring to FIG. 4, that portion 74 of plate 66 of the button holder to which bracket 68 is fastened is actually separate from plate 66, but is connected thereto by a flexible hinge plate 76 preferably formed of thin, spring steel. A U-shaped yoke 78 has its bifurcated ends pivotally connected to the outer edges of bracket 73 fastened to the plate 64 (FIG. 1). A threaded rod 80 (FIG. 1) has one end threadedly connected to bracket 68 and the other end passing through the cross member of the yoke 78. Fastened to rod 80 and positioned within a slot formed in the cross member is a knurled wheel 82. When wheel 82 and, therefore, rod 80, is rotated, the upper portion 74 of plate 66 is displaced longitudinally on the rod thereby changing its position relative to plate 64. The apparatus is preferably adjusted in a manner such that the spacing between the entrance end of button holder 20 defined by the upper portion of plates 64 and 66 matches that between plates 32 and 34 so that the extension of chute 18 in buttonholder 20 has the same dimensions as chute 18 to accommodate the buttons discharging therefrom.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 5, 6 and 9, elongate positioning blocks 84 and 86 are fastened to the plates 64 and 66, respectively, by conventional means such as bolts (not shown). Each positioning block has a slotted projection 88 integrally formed at each end, which projections rest upon the upper surface of a frame 90 which is a substantially C-shaped member having arms 90a and 900 connected by an arm 90b as best seen in FIG. 5A. Four threaded rods are provided (not shown), each rod having one end rigidly fastened to the frame 90. The rods extend upwardly from frame 90 through the slots formed in the projections 88. Interiorly threaded caps 92 are fitted over the ends of these threaded members and are manually rotatable by way of radially extending handles 94. By appropriately manipulating and positioning the positioning blocks 84 and 86 on frame 90 and then tightening the caps 92 the spacing between the major portions of plates 64 and 66 may be varied in order to match the spacing between plates 32 and 34 of chute 18. Again, such adjustments are made to accommodate different size button heads. An example of such adjustment is depicted in phantom lines in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIGS. 1,5,6 and 9, the frame 90 has a U- shaped pivot arm 96 fastened, such as by bolts, to the extremity of frame arm 90a. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 6, the bifurcated ends of the pivot arm 96 are pivotally mounted on the fixed base 98 of the button sewing machine by shaft 100. Thus, the entire button holder is pivotable with respect to the base 98 of the button sewing machine about shaft 100. The reasons for this pivotal movement are discussed in detail hereinbelow. Of course, in order to permit the button holder assembly to pivot about shaft 100, the chute l8 and hopper 10 move together therewith about pivot 12 at the top of the stand 14.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a button clamping assembly is provided comprising a pair of substantially horizontally disposed upper and lower arms 110 and 112 which are fastened to the end of the respective upper and lower parts of plate 64. A cam plate 114 having a cam edge 114a overlies the ends of arms 110 and 112 and is bolted to the end of plate 64. A track 116 is defined between the arms 110, 112 which constitute a continuation of the track 38 defined in chute 18 and the continuation track 67 in the button holder assembly. Upper arm 110 has a downwardly turned end 118 while the lower arm 112 is shorter than the upper arm so as to terminate a certain distance before the area underlying end 118.

A leaf spring 120 is connected by conventional fasteners, for example by bolts, to plate 66 in spaced, opposed relationship to the upper and lower arms 110 and 112. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the end of leaf spring 120 is bent towards the arms 110 and 112. The space between the end of the leaf spring and the ends of arms 1 10, l 12 defines an area 200 in which a button may be removably maintained just prior to being sewed onto fabric as will be explained in greater detail hereinbelow.

A bracket 122 is rigidly attached to machine base 98 by conventional fasteners such as bolts 124. An anvil 126 including a horizontal planar surface 123 and slot 129 for receiving the sewing needle is fixed to and cantilevered over the edge of bracket 122 by a bolt 128. The anvil may also be formed with a recess 131 in planar surface 123 to receive a stay prior to the sewing operation, i.e., if a stay is to be sewn to the opposite side of the cloth article to assist in securing the button in place. The recess 131 is formed such that a stay having a similar configuration can be received therein only in a manner whereby the stay holes are properly positioned over slot 129 so that the sewing needle will pass through the stay holes. In the present embodiment, the recess is formed with adjacent rounded comers 131a (FIG. 5) so that stays can only be received in the recess with their corresponding corners located therein. A typical stay 133 is shown in position in FIG. 10. The position of the anvil is adjustable for different size button shanks by virtue of the slot 130 formed in a rearwardly projecting portion thereof. As will be seen, the anvil is to be positioned immediately below the shank of a button held between the upper and lower arms 110 and 112 and, therefore, a longer shank dictates moving the anvil to a new position.

The button indexing and thread cutting apparatus will now be described. When the buttons are introduced into the chute 18 by the action of hopper 10, the first button to enter the chute normally descends downwardly with its shank guided within the track 38, enters the button holder assembly with the shank being guided within track continuation 67 and descends until it cannot move any further. At this point the shank is a small distance from the end 1 18 of the upper arm 1 10 and is supported from below by the lower arm 112 as shown in phantom in FIG. 9. The button is prevented from moving further to the left under the action of the buttons immediately behind it by the interference of the leaf spring 120, i.e., the spring is so shaped and is of sufficient stiffness such that the gravity force is not sufficient to force the button forward, which would require that the button head 23b urge spring rearwardly. In order to index this button so that its shank abuts against the end 118, which is the position in which the button will be sewn onto the fabric, a button indexing device generally denoted as 132, is provided. The indexing device includes a ram 134 slidably mounted parallel to track 116 within a slot formed in a guide plate 136 which itself is fastened by bolts 138 to the lower part of the plate 64. The forward end of ram arm 134 has an inwardly turned finger 140 pivotally mounted thereto. The free end 141 of finger 140 is normally urged towards a position within the track 116 defined between the upper and lower arms 110 and 112 by a leaf spring 142 connected to the ram arm. However, when the ram arm is in its retracted or rightmost position as shown in FIG. 7, the free end of the finger is prevented from extending into track 116 due to the interference of the cam plate 114. That is, as the ram arm 134 retracts or moves to the right as seen in the figures, the inner surface of finger 140 contacts camming edge 114a and the finger 140 is caused to pivot as it retracts further against the force of spring 142. As the ram arm is moved forward by a suitable drive means, the free end 141 of finger 140 will pivot into track 116 under the force of spring 142 and engage the shank of a button located therein. It should be noted that such engagement need not be with the first button in line but may be with any button. As shown in FIG. 10, as the ram arm moves forward in the direction of the arrow, the first button is urged forwardly due to the finger end 141 engaging button shank 23a. The button continues to move under the force of ram arm 134 until its shank abuts the end 118 of the upper arm 110. Although, in this position, the lower arm 112 does not extend below the shank and therefore does not support any part of the button, the button is clamped in position under the action of leaf spring 120 pressing the button head 23b against the inner surface of upper arm 110. The other end of ram arm 134 is connected to a suitable oscillatory drive means which will be described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 10, a knife mechanism 144 is provided for cutting the thread connecting the sewn button to the machine subsequent to the sewing operation. The knife mechanism 144 includes a knife arm 146 having a blade 148 formed thereon. The knife arm is pivoted to the bracket 122 at 150 and the blade 148 is formed on the knife arm such that upon pivoting around point 150, it passes below anvil 126 (FIG. 10).

The other end of knife arm 146 is pivotally connected to a push arm 152 which extends toward the rear of the button holder assembly.

The ends of ram arm 134 of the button indexing mechanism 132 and of the push arm 152 of the knife mechanism 144 are both coupled to a connecting member 154. The connecting member may be a generally S-shaped member (not shown) having upper and lower horizontal legs 156 and 158 (FIG. 7) and a vertical connecting leg 160. The end of ram arm 134 is rigidly attached to the upper horizontal leg 156 by a bolt 162 while the end of push arm 152 is connected to the lower horizontal leg 158 by a universal joint connection 164. By so coupling the ends of these rods, actuation of the drive means to cause the connecting member 154 to reciprocate will simultaneously actuate both the button indexing device 132 and the knife mechanism 144.

A conventional microswitch 166 may be mounted on a bracket rigidly fastened to plate 66. The micro-switch 166 has a spring contact 168 extending therefrom whose end passes through a slot formed in the leaf spring 120. When a button is urged to sewing position, i.e., when the shank is abutting end 118 of upper arm 110, the spring contact 168 is pushed outwardly by the button body 23b thereby opening microswitch 166. The microswitch is in the actuation circuit of the drive means and thus, when so opened, deactivates the drive means. If a button is not in this sewing position, the contact 168 is in an inward position and the switch is closed so that the drive means is actuated.

The operation of the button feeding machine will now be described. Buttons are loaded into the hopper 10 in any desired quantity. The hopper motor 30 is turned on and the spring arms 24 rotate to push the buttons into the outlet of the hopper where they are aligned by the shoulder and notch on the chute 18. The buttons then fall downwardly in the chute 18 by gravity, the last button being held between the upper and lower arms 110 and 112 a distance from the end 118 of the upper arm by spring 120.

To initiate the cycle of operation of the machine, that is, to feed a button into sewing position and sew the button onto fabric, the operator depresses a treadle (not shown) which causes a hook member 170 (FIG. 1) extending from the sewing machine to move upwardly in cooperation with a hook-lift arm 172 fixed to frame 90 by a lift arm extension 174. Additionally, depressing the treadle closes another switch in the drive mechanism circuit. The raising of the lift arm 172 causes the entire button holder assembly 20 to pivot around shaft 100 to a raised position shown in FIG. 9. Since there is no button in the sewing position, the spring contact 168 is in its inward position and microswitch 166 is closed. Since the microswitch and treadle controlledswitch are closed the drive mechanism circuit is activated and the drive mechanism, described below, causes the connecting member 154 to begin to move inwardly. Finger 140 engages the shank of a button and pushes it forward until the button reaches the sewing position with its shank bearing against the end 118 of upper arm 110. Micro-switch contact 168 is urged outwardly by the head 23b of the button thereby opening microswitch 166 which opens the drive circuit and cuts power to the drive mechanism. While the button holder assembly is in this raised position, fabric 200 is positioned over the anvil 126 with the button shank directly over the anvil slot 129. Thus, the raised position of the button holder facilitates placement of the fabric over the anvil 126. The anvil has been preadjusted so that the button shank is directly over the anvil slot.

The operator then releases the treadle thereby lowering the button holder assembly to the position shown in F IG. 6 and the button is sewn onto the fabric. Referring again to FIG. 9, the operator then depresses the treadle again, causing the button holder assembly to be raised. However, the button designated in FIG. 9 as 210 which has been sewn onto the fabric is extracted from between upper arm 1 l0 and spring 120 since the operator holds the fabric in place and the, button clamping assembly moves upwardly while the button remains attached to the fabric. Thus, it is seen that lower arm 112 is shorter than upper arm so that the pivoting of the button holder will result in the sewn button being extracted. In other words, the thread holding the button onto the fabric exerts a force which overcomes the clamping force of the leaf spring which is the only force holding the button within the assembly. Shortened lower arm 112, as mentioned above, in no way supports the button. As the button is withdrawn, the switch contact 168 moves inwardly thereby closing switch 166 and activating the drive mechanism. (since the treadle controlled switch has already been closed). Connecting member 154 is again pushed inwardly thereby causing another button to index into the sewing position. Additionally, the push arm 152 actuates the knife arm 146 which passes beneath the anvil 126 thereby severing the threads connecting the sewn button to the button sewing machine below the anvil. The button holder is shown with the indexing mechanism and cutting mechanism in their actuated states in FIG. 10. As soon as another button is disposed in the sewing position, the switch 166 is opened thereby cutting power to the drive mechanism.

The button feeding machine of the present invention has several advantages. First of all, a positive indexing of the buttons into sewing position is provided. Further, the sewn button is automatically severed from the sewing machine subsequent to the sewing operation. The drive mechanism forthe button indexing mechanism and thread cutting mechanism is automatically actuated and deactuated. Buttons may be successively sewn in a rapid manner due to these advantages.

One arrangement for driving the button indexing and thread cutting devices which may be employed is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. A conventional air operated piston 220 is slidably maintained within a cylinder 222. Cylinder 222 may be mounted on the side of sewing machine 221 by bracket 223 as shown in FIG. 11. For clarity, FIG. 1 does not show that part of the sewing machine to which cylinder 222 is attached but it is understood that the machine does have a portion which is situated such that the bracket may be attached to it. A forwardly extending rod 224 is attached at one end to one face of the piston. The other end of rod 224 is coupled to connecting member 154 which itself is attached to the ram and knife push arms 134 and 152 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). An electrically operated valve 226 (in the same circuit with switch 166) is activated when the microswitch and treadle controlled switches are closed and causes piston 220 to move to the right as seen in FIG. 11 thereby causing rod 224 to do the same. This moves connecting member 154 to the left as seen in FIG. 7 thereby activating the button indexing and thread cutting mechanisms. When microswitch 166 is opened by the button moving to the sewing position, the valve 226 is deactivated and the piston moves to the left. The operation of the valve and a piston is considered to be conventional.

To variably adjust the length of stroke of piston 220, an externally threaded cylinder 228 is threaded onto the rearward end of cylinder 222. A rearwardly extending rod 230 is attached to the rear face of piston 220 and extends into cylinder 228. A finger 232 passes perpendicularly through rod 230 and rides within a pair of longitudinally opposed slots 234 formed in cylinder 228. A pair of lock nut assemblies 236, each including two indentical nuts, are provided over cylinder 238 so as to extend over the slots. By adjusting the position of the lock nut assemblies, the length of stroke is determined. Finger 232 will interfere with each lock nut assembly as it travels in cylinder 228 thereby defining the limits of travel.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic button feeding and thread severing machine adapted for use with with a sewing machine comprising:

a hopper having a discharge aperture;

a chute having an inlet end positioned adjacent the discharge aperture and an outlet end;

means for holding buttons coupled to the outlet end of the chute, said button holding means defining an area in which a button may be removably maintained for subsequent sewing onto a piece of fabric, said button holding means being selectively movable from a first position wherein said area directly overlies the fabric to a second position wherein said area is remote from said fabric;

means for sequentially feeding buttons into said area when said holding means is in said second position;

means for severing thread extending from a previously sewn button to the sewing machine when said holding means is in said second position; and

means for driving the feeding and severing means.

2. The button feeding machine of claim 1 further including switch means for automatically, simultaneously actuating the button feeding means and the thread severing means when said holding means moves to said second position.

3. The button feeding machine of claim 1 wherein the thread severing means includes a knife arm having a blade formed thereon, one end of the knife arm pivotally connected to the button feeding machine base and the other end pivotally connected to one end of a push arm, an oscillatory drive means coupled to the other end of said push arm, which drive means, upon actuation, operates to move the push arm in a longitudinal direction which causes the knife arm to pivot so that the blade moves and cuts that length of thread extending between the sewn button and the sewing machine.

4. The button feeding machine of claim 1 wherein the feeding means includes a ram arm having one end coupled to an oscillatory drive means and another end having a spring biased finger for engaging the shank of a button in the button holding means, said drive means upon actuation adapted to reciprocate the ram arm so that said finger engages the shank of a button and moves a button to the sewing area in the button holding means.

5. The button feeding machine of claim 4 wherein the thread severing means includes a knife arm having a blade formed thereon, one end of the knife arm pivotally connected to the button feeding machine base and the other end pivotally connected to a push arm, said oscillatory drive means coupled to the other end of said push arm, which drive means upon actuation operates to perform an uninterrupted cycle for reciprocating both the ram arm and the knife push arm which causes the knife arm to pivot so that the blade moves and cuts that length of thread extending between the sewn button and the sewing machine.

6. The button feeding machine of claim 1 further including switch means comprising a spring contact having a contact portion which contacts the body of a button disposed in the sewing area thereby positioning the contact so that the switch is open and upon said sewing area becoming vacant, said contact portion moving to a position wherein the switch is closed thereby actuating the button moving means and thread severing means.

7. The button feeding machine of claim 1 wherein the drive means includes a housing, a piston reciprocally mounted in the housing, which housing has a slot formed therein, a pair of locking means adjustably positionable on the housing over the slot and an extension projecting from the piston into the slot between the locking means.

8. The button feeding machine of claim 7 wherein the housing comprises a piston cylinder and an externally threaded cylinder attached to one end of the piston cylinder and the locking means includes a lock-nut assembly threaded onto the externally threaded cylinder. 

1. An automatic button feeding and thread severing machine adapted for use with with a sewing machine comprising: a hopper having a discharge aperture; a chute having an inlet end positioned adjacent the discharge aperture and an outlet end; means for holding buttons coupled to the outlet end of the chute, said button holding means defining an area in which a button may be removably maintained for subsequent sewing onto a piece of fabric, said button holding means being selectively movable from a first position wherein said area directly overlies the fabric to a second position wherein said area is remote from said fabric; means for sequentially feeding buttons into said area when said holding means is in said second position; means for severing thread extending from a previously sewn button to the sewing machine when said holding means is in said second position; and means for driving the feeding and severing means.
 2. The button feeding machine of claim 1 further including switch means for automatically, simultaneously actuating the button feeding means and the thread severing means when said holding means moves to said second position.
 3. The button feeding machine of claim 1 wherein the thread severing means includes a knife arm having a blade formed thereon, one end of the knife arm pivotally connected to the button feeding machine base and the other end pivotally connected to one end of a push arm, an oscillatory drive means coupled to the other end of said push arm, which drive means, upon actuation, operates to move the push arm in a longitudinal direction which causes the knife arm to pivot so that the blade moves and cuts that length of thread extending between the sewn button and the sewing machine.
 4. The button feeding machine of claim 1 wherein the feeding means includes a ram arm having one end coupled to an oscillatory drive means and another end having a spring biased finger for engaging the shank of a button in the button holding means, said drive means upon actuation adapted to reciprocate the ram arm so that said finger engages the shank of a button and moves a button to the sewing area in the button holding means.
 5. The button feeding machine of claim 4 wherein the thread severing means includes a knife arm having a blade formed thereon, one end of the knife arm pivotally connected to the button feeding machine base and the other end Pivotally connected to a push arm, said oscillatory drive means coupled to the other end of said push arm, which drive means upon actuation operates to perform an uninterrupted cycle for reciprocating both the ram arm and the knife push arm which causes the knife arm to pivot so that the blade moves and cuts that length of thread extending between the sewn button and the sewing machine.
 6. The button feeding machine of claim 1 further including switch means comprising a spring contact having a contact portion which contacts the body of a button disposed in the sewing area thereby positioning the contact so that the switch is open and upon said sewing area becoming vacant, said contact portion moving to a position wherein the switch is closed thereby actuating the button moving means and thread severing means.
 7. The button feeding machine of claim 1 wherein the drive means includes a housing, a piston reciprocally mounted in the housing, which housing has a slot formed therein, a pair of locking means adjustably positionable on the housing over the slot and an extension projecting from the piston into the slot between the locking means.
 8. The button feeding machine of claim 7 wherein the housing comprises a piston cylinder and an externally threaded cylinder attached to one end of the piston cylinder and the locking means includes a lock-nut assembly threaded onto the externally threaded cylinder. 